Tag Archives: Food

Seed Starting

Posted on March 19, 2014 by AnnieRie

My DIY seed starting project.

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Using egg cartons. And potting mix. In a carry around Larriland container so I can move it from east to west during the day.

I planted my seeds on the 15th of March. Today, we have sprouts.

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The arugula is coming up. Soon, I will need to thin them. The scarlet emperor beans were just starting to germinate, and I had to add more potting mix to that section to keep them covered.

I also have cardoons, kale and purple tomatillos in there. When I get a few more containers, I will be starting some herbs.

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We have our community garden meeting next weekend. And, we received the lists from Sharp’s Farm, who sells us “plugs”, really tiny seedlings to transplant. This is where I will get my heirloom tomatoes, my peppers, and a few exotics. I am thinking about horseradish root and rhubarb. And strawberries. The possibilities when you have more space, deer fenced and sunny, are making me anticipate spring even more.

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Here’s to seed selecting and planting.

#hocofood

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Memories of the Navy … in Bean Soup

Posted on March 15, 2014 by AnnieRie

Every week at White Oak. Bean soup on the lunch menu. Really hearty. Full of flavor. Similar to what is served at the Senate. And in the Pentagon.

For me, that soup was a filling comforting bowl of warmth in the middle of winter. I have been working to perfect my own version of it.

Senate bean soup includes butter. Mine doesn’t.

Mine takes five ingredients plus salt and pepper. Beans. Scallions. Ham hock. Broth. Garlic.

Yesterday I soaked, then cooked the white beans from the Friends and Farms delivery. This morning I put them, and a pork hock and a pint of veggie broth in my crockpot. Added four cloves of garlic. A half dozen scallions.

Let it cook for eight hours. Pureed half of it (minus the pork). Shredded that pork about an hour before serving.

It came out like this.

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Enough for two meals. Dinner tonight and lunch later next week.

Tonight we served it with warm garlic naan and a 2012 Linden Avenius Sauvignon Blanc. A crisp flinty SB, to cut the creamy richness of the soup.

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Local meals. Yum!

#hocofood

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Processed Foods

Posted on March 14, 2014 by AnnieRie

Since I stopped buying many processed foods and started cooking from scratch I now spend more time thinking ahead about what to make every week.

Meal planning and prepping foods, like the navy beans we got in this week’s basket from Friends and Farms.

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Taking the time to soak and cook the beans in advance means I will be able to make bean soup in the crockpot this weekend.

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The basket this week included quite a mix of items. Looks like some good St. Patrick’s Day meal options in there.

We got chicken breasts, pork sausage and pork hocks. I also caught the note on Facebook that they had a limited amount of lamb cubes available for purchase.

We got red cabbage and potatoes. Onions too. Green peppers. Tomato puree. Lettuce and grape tomatoes for a salad. Apples to use with that red cabbage.

This was a yogurt week. And eggs. And a baguette.

Almost no need to go to a grocery store anymore. Just a few staples needed to make meals.

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If there is one place that I am enjoying this experience, it is in the quality of the food, particularly the meats.

Just the right size for two people. Really fresh.

I am making a lamb stew next week. Navy bean soup tomorrow. A frittata with the eggs and sausage and potatoes. Red cabbage with apples.

In our world these days, the only thing I seem to ever buy in the frozen food aisle at Harris Teeter is the gelato.

I like the way I have changed how I cook. Thanks to the seasonal, regional goodies, and my freezer.

#hocofood

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Searching for Signs of Spring

Posted on March 12, 2014 by AnnieRie

As the skies in the west darken. The temperatures may drop forty degrees tonight. Storms will rip through. And, we may get one or two more snow events before winter leaves us.

Will spring ever arrive? Tomorrow we have volunteer training, including hiking, in temperatures that may barely hit freezing, as a high. That should be interesting.

Heavy rain is hitting the front of our house. Cross your fingers that our radio tower does OK. It is a year old this week.

I see no evidence of garlic in the garden. I planted it last fall, and covered it heavily with mulch. Normally by now, there would be something out there.

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This was last year on the 29th of March.

Tulips? Not very far along either. Barely seen. Not like last year when they popped above the ground in January.

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I moved the tractor up to the garage today, to get picked up for service tomorrow. I don’t think we will be cutting grass anytime soon.

This has been a cold winter. One that, I hope, will cut down on the number of destructive pests that kill my garden plants. If only it would kill the stink bugs. That would be celebration worthy.

Are you tired of winter too?

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Beef! It is What’s For Dinners

Posted on March 10, 2014 by AnnieRie

Twice the past few days we have had beef on the menu. Really good beef. Not bought at grocery stores but from local farms and butchers who use local farms.

Short ribs over polenta.

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Both from Friends and Farms.

The ribs were seared first and cooked in the crock pot until they were falling off the bone. Polenta was cooked on the stove and served with some onions and greens.

If that wasn’t good enough, tonight I wanted to use my Christmas present. My rice steamer.

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I had a white rice and wild rice pilaf mix from the Shrewsbury Amish market bulk store. My husband wanted beef to go with it, so I cooked a couple of very petite 3-4 ounce filets from England Acres.

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They started as a pan sear, then I added mushrooms, peppers and scallions. Finished with the Pacific brand mushroom soup.

Served over the rice.

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Since my rice cooker makes two cups of rice, I used half the mixture in some turkey rice soup. I need to bring a dish to the Conservancy pot luck Thursday.

So, today was truly a major cooking day. But, the rest of the week there will be good leftovers.

#hocofood

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Monkfish Stew

Posted on March 6, 2014 by AnnieRie

OK, monkfish is something I don’t ordinarily buy. Thanks to Friends and Farms, we got some very fresh, very nice monkfish in today’s pickup.

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So, I made a stew. I sort of followed a recipe. Carrots, onions, parsnips. Red pepper tomato soup. Tomatoes from my freezer. Broccoli from the freezer. All mixed together and slow cooked.

Finally, seared the monkfish in a pan and added it for the last 15 minutes.

Served with a lovely Verdeca bought at Iron Bridge during the Italian wine tasting series.

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What else was in this week’s basket? The makings of a very good dinner this weekend. Short Ribs and polenta.

Maybe with some of these lovely mushrooms.

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Along with the mushrooms, there was curly endive and beets. And, O’Henry sweet potatoes.

Apples. And a couple of quick frozen veggies.

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Broccoli is always welcome. As are the green beans. I like the frozen veggies. They do well in soups.

What did I forget? Oh yeah, eggs and muenster cheese.

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And, bread. This week I picked honey whole wheat. As for the polenta, this is something I really enjoy making, but don’t make it enough. That will be remedied.

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There is enough here for two meals for us. Just the right amount.

Can’t be happier about all these inspiring choices for dinners.

hocofood@@@

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Pizza? Frittata?

Posted on March 4, 2014 by AnnieRie

So, what is it?

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A frittata without potatoes? Or a Pizza with no crust?

Inspired by the Swiss Chard from last week’s basket.

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Besides. I needed to use up some eggs.

I started with some leftover thin sliced sausage. Reminiscent of pepperoni. Sautéed with scallions and garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Chard added to wilt down.

Eight eggs whisked with a little milk. Leftover mozzarella.

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Everybody into an oven proof pan and put in a 300 degree oven until browned.

Looks like a pepperoni and cheese pizza meets an eggy crust.

We had half of it tonight and the rest will be brunch this weekend.

The star of the dinner though? A 2001 Elk Run Liberty Tavern Estate Cabernet Sauvignon. Found in the cellar. Still hanging in there!

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Who says Maryland can’t make good wine? This one was smooth, fruity, just a hint of smoke.

hocofood@@@

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Bracing? For A Storm

Posted on March 2, 2014 by AnnieRie

Is it really going to snow again? Or, is it all hype. Hang around a few hours and the numbers change. School around here is already canceled for tomorrow. At this rate it will be Fourth of July before they get out for the summer.

I hit the store Saturday, just in case, and because my husband forgot to remind me to get milk when I was at Wegmans Thursday.

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Harris Teeter down in Maple Lawn. It was somewhat busy, but well staffed. I had to get some printing at the copying place there, so it was one of those multiple errand trips.

On the way home, passing Boarman’s, you could see the full parking lot.

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I assume we all have enough to survive whatever we get. But, I am crossing my fingers that I get to attend Conservancy events this week. It should be a full week for me, if we don’t get mounds of snow, we have middle school training Tuesday. A program meeting and pre-hike for the Hike to the River on Wednesday. Elementary school training begins Thursday. And, Saturday the Hike to the River.

Looking at this crazy schedule, I did take time today to make a couple of pans of lasagna. Half of one for tonight. Half saved for later this week. Leftover pork for another night. The contents of my Friends and Farms baskets are being put to good use here.

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I used up the last of my Pappardelles’ peppercorn lasagna noodles. Time to go back to Secolari in the Mall to get more. I used the loose turkey sausage, some dark meat chicken and the tomato puree to make the sauce.

Ricotta, mozzarella, goat cheese and a couple of eggs for the cheese layers. Italian herbs. Nutmeg in the cheese sauce. Simple improvised lasagna.

While we were watching some TV tonight, I made an interesting concoction.

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A splash of red wine. A can of citrus flavored sparkling water. A handful of defrosted blackberries from the freezer. A spoonful of simple syrup. Nice wine cooler. Thanks to all those Larriland berries in the freezer.

Bring on the bad weather. But, let it go away quickly.

hocoblogs@@@

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This Week’s Basket

Posted on February 28, 2014 by AnnieRie

It’s been so busy around here, I almost forgot about this week’s Friends and Farms basket. A really full basket this time.

Today my husband and I were talking. He is amazed that we rarely see a need to visit grocery stores much. This pick up of food, and my visits to the local farms, and my freezer full of Larriland goodness pretty much keeps us stocked for the winter.

What did we get this week?

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Let’s take it in stages, as it wouldn’t all fit in a picture.

I get a dozen eggs weekly, instead of milk. We are now getting eggs from a farm in Clinton MD. Mostly brown eggs, with a very deep yellow yolk. We got four more Asian pears. Love these pears, as they are so crisp and sweet. We got hydroponic spring mix, enough for two salads. And, grapefruit. Two of those. Root veggies, said the preview. That meant a few parsnips and one humongous carrot. A couple of onions.

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The meat included one whole chicken, uncured bacon and a small pork loin roast. Perfect sizes for the two of us. This was an egg week in the description, but since I get eggs weekly instead of milk, this week I got the yogurt. I picked vanilla, in order to mix it with my frozen berries from our summer picking at Larriland. We got rosemary and garlic, perfect for the chicken, and the pork. Potatoes and swiss chard. There will be a frittata early next week.

And, I almost forgot the bread. On the table they had lots of fruit breads this week, from the Breadery. Pumpkin, blueberry, cinnamon raisin. We aren’t fruit bread people so I picked a par-baked ciabatta.

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Should be good when I make chicken soup with the leftovers from baking the chicken today.

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This chicken, spatchcocked with butter, rosemary, garlic, and tarragon under the skin, and drizzled with olive oil became dinner. Except for the breast meat, which will become soup Sunday.

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I made creamed spinach with the rest of the spinach from last week. The rest of the angel hair pasta, cooked and served with grated Parmesan and lemon infused olive oil.

With a local wine. What could be better for a Friday night?

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A Linden Avenius chardonnay.

Dessert? Trickling Springs salted caramel ice cream. This was really a local meal, in the dead of winter. Can’t beat that.

hocofood@@@

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Cabin Fever

Posted on February 26, 2014 by AnnieRie

When you wake up many mornings, too many in fact, to a variation of this view …

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… you start thinking about the Jimmy Buffett song “Boat Drinks” particularly that line about shooting holes in the freezer.

Thankfully, the Howard County blogging community has a cure for cabin fever. Another get together, this time at the newly opened White Oak Tavern, on Route 40, in the Enchanted Forest shopping center.

The party is tomorrow night, the 27th. 5:30-7:30 pm. White Oak Tavern is a farm to table restaurant featuring lots of locally sourced items. The type of place I like to see succeed here.

A few of their sources, lifted from their winter menu.

Wagon Wheel Ranch – Grass-fed Beef, Free Range Chicken,
and Pastured Berkshire Pork

South Mountain Creamery – Dairy products from grass-fed cows

Mozzarella, peach ice cream and provolone from SMC

Hilltop Acres – Pastured Berkshire and Mulefoot Pork

Chapel’s Country Creamery – artisanal Cheese

Zahradka – Produce
Tuscarora Produce
Atwater’s Bread Co
Vann’s Spice Co
Zeke’s Coffee

I am intrigued by Vann’s. I have thought of going down to Rockville to Penzey’s, but might try ordering a few of the harder to find spices from this locally owned family business.

Come join our friendly local Howard County bloggers for a pint of ale, some good conversation, and maybe a burger and fries, or some ice cream from just up the pike.

hocofood@@@

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